Pneumatic action for musical instruments.



A ENT E I FEB. 11, 1908.

0. MAERTBN, JR. PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.3.1907.

7 Zn eases:

CHRISTIAN MAERTEN, JR, OF MARTINSVILLE, NEW

YORK.

PNEQ A'IIO ACTION FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1 1, 1908;

Application filed April 3' 1907. Elerial No. 386,145.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cnnisrmn MAERTEN, Jr, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'itiartinsville, in the county of J State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Actions for Musical Instruments, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to pneumatic actions for musical instruments, and more particularly to the valves for controlling the pneumatic motors of pneumatic actions for self-playing instruments.

' The invention is illustrated in the drawings and. l'iereinafter described in connection with j actions for self-playing organs or wind instruments, but is applicable also to pianos, mechanical piano players, and other instrumerits capable of operation by pneumatic action. The valves shown are operated by pneumatic pressure controlled by a perfd ffrated note sheet traveling over a tracker board in the usual mannen but they could also be actuated by mechanical means.

Each pneumatic in an action of the sort illustrat on is controlled by a double valve or two cooperating valves for alternately connecting the pneumatic with the exhaust and atmosphere, or wind chest, to collapse e d expand the pneumatic, or move its "()Qiifi it in opposite directions, and the i tzu's invention are to provide valves his nu pose which will he positive and quickly per sive in action and which can ii with power than is required utioi'i of valves heretofore used; e an operating connection he- 'ie two valves whereby a leverage is en the valves in favor of one of :also to make the lever connection be Niagara and I.

tween the valves adjustable to regulate the n: wements of the valves.

in the accompanying drawings: Figure 1. a fragmentary sectional elevation of a pneumatic action for self-playing organ, cmbedving the invention. 2 is an ent l' r l al elevation of the controlling l and their chamber showing a difi'erent' Fig. 3 is a sectional lambs; and valves, a sectional elcl a and its operating l .l ig. a sec- I eicvation '1' in line I? p vation of lever, ti

. 2. showing rig.

ructicn. o is a hagmentarysectional elevation of an organ action of a modified construction.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

Referring particularly to Fig. sents one of the speaking pipes of an organ, B the wind chest, C one of the valves for controlling communication between the wind chest and the pipe or pipes for each note, D the pneumatic motor, bellows or pneumatic which. crates the pipe valve through the push rod d or other connection, E the exhaust trunk in which a suction or partial vacuum is maintained, and F the tracker board, over the channels of which the perforated note sheetf travels to control the operation of the action. This action with the exception of the arrangement and construction of the controlling valves for the pneumatic D, which will be hereinafter described, is of well known construction and operation. The pneumatic l) is connected by a conduit or passage 9 to a valve chamber g which is connected by a port 9 with the exhaust trunk E and by a port 9 with the atmosphere.

H H, Fig. 1, represent cooperatii'ig valves controlling the ports 9 and 9 respectively, for eachpneumatic. The valves are connected to move together, as later described. The stem of the valve H is attached to a diaphragm 1 arranged in the exhaust trunk over a chamber connecting by'a assage .or pipe i to one of the channels of tie tracker board. This passage also connects by the usual bleeder duct i with the exhaust trunk. Vi hen one of the perforations of the note sheet registers with the corresponding channel of the tracker board, the atmospheric pressure entering the channel and passage '6 will lil t the diaphragm and valve H connected thereto, and open the port 9*, thus connecting the conduit 9 for the pneumatic with the exhaust trunk. The air will then be drawn out of the pneumatic and the latter collapsed to open the pipe valve C and cause the s eak ing of the instrument. The valve F is moved to close the ,ort g tothe atmosphere, by the opening of the other valve H. When an imperforate portion of the note sheet covers a channel of the tracker board, the ressure in the corresponding passage i Wil be reduced by the suction in the exhaust trunk through the bleeder duct 71 and the diaphragm will again descend and seat the valve ll, so as to close the port g to the exhaust trunk and permit the opening of the other 1, A reprevalve H controlling the port 9 to the atmosphere. The atmospheric pressure will then enter the pneumatic through the port 9 valve chamber and passage p, thereby distendin the neumatlc and al owing the pipe valve to c ose under the-action of the usual s ring. I

The valves H Hfor controlling the pneumatic may be of different construction and arrangement. ,7 As shown in Figs. 1f3, the valve H consists of a vertically movable block guided by fixedupright pins k' extending through notched flanges at the ends of the i valves. The valve could, however, be of the ordinary hinged type illustrated at H in Fig. 5, but the vertically movable valve ispreferable for the reason that its stem moves vertically only and does not swingor tilt at its connection with the diaphragm, and is therefore less liable to injure the diaphragm. The other valve H is preferably of the usual hinged type and is arranged to seat against one of the upright walls of the valve chamber, to close the port gto the atmosphere. A lever L is secured to this valve and has an arm Z projecting therefrom at an angle and adapted tobear at its free end on the otheri-f valve H, the end of the lever arm being preferably curvedor rounded so that it can rock on the valve. A piece of skin or other suitable, pliable material is preferably cemented to the valve H for thearm to bear against. The arrangement of the valves and lever L is suchthat, when the valve His seated, the .3. v 5 other valve H Wlll swing away from its seat and open the atmospheric port, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4, While, when the valve H is unseated to open the suction port 9 it will through the lever L seat the other valve H i In order to secure a proper movement of the valves, the lever L is preferably angularly adjustable on the valve to which it is secured. For this purpose the lever is'at tached to the valve H by two screws Z and is provided between these screws with a lateral rojection or bend which bears against the face of the valve. By loosening one screw and tightening up the other the free end of thelever arm 1 can be adjusted up or down, thus permitting a greater or less movement .of the valves toward and from their seats. As the lever arm projects at an angle to the .valve to which it is secured,a leverage is sei cured between the valves in favor of the valve'H which is actuated by the diaphragm, and this leverage can be increased or decreased as required, by making the lever arm of the necessary length. The levera e can' also be adjusted slightly by angulary ad justing the lever L by means of its securing screws. Thus by pro erly proportioning and adjustin the lever 12 ments 0 the valves can be secured, and the valve H can be moved against the atmos- (i5 pheric pressure acting thereon ,by a feebler wind chest.

the necessary moveimpulse on the diaphragm than would be required if the valves were directly connected to each other or to the same stem, and there-- fore the channels of the tracker "board and passages leading from the same to the diaphragms can be made smaller, which permits a closer arrangement of the channels. and perforations in the note sheet and makes it possible to use a note sheet of less widththan ordinarily employed. For the same" reason, smaller-diaphragms can be used and as the pressure in the exhaust trunk need-not be so attenuated, a less-powerful exhaust device can be used.

In the drawings the valve H is shown as operated by a diaphragm but it will be understood that a bellows or other pressureoperated device could be emplo ed instead. The described lever connection etween the valves would also be desirable with valves operated by electro-magnets, or other means, for the reason'that less power would berequired to actuate the valves.

Fig. 6 shows the valves H and H applied to a diii'erent action in which the pneumatic D which operates the pipe valve C, is operated alternately by the action of suction and compressed air instead of suction and atmose pheric pressure, as in the action,described.- In this action shownin Fig. fifthe pneumatic 95 or bellows D is located in the wind chestB;

being exposed externally to the air pressure in the wind chest. The valve chamber connects by passages y 9 respectively, wit the pneumatic and, with the wind chest B. The valve H is operated by a.dia hragm controlled by the perforated music s eet on the tracker board in the same manner as in the first action described. Instead -of the pneumatic being inflated and expanded by the atmospheric pressu e, however, itis expanded by the greater pressure from the The arrangement and opera: tion of the valves H H are the samdas previously described th'e two difierent actions 116 simply being illustrated to show the applicahility of the valves to difierent actions.

M While the valve mechanism constituting I the invention has been described only in connection with pneumatic actions forselfplaying organs, it will be manifest that the invention is not limited to such aipplication as the pneumatic motors D contro edby the valves H H could be employed for operating the hammers or other parts in pianos oil'other 120 musical instruments, or in a piano player for. operating the fingers which actuate the keys oi a piano. The invention is not restricted to the articular use to whichthe pneumatics contro led by the valves are put.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a pneumatic action, the combination of a pneumatic, valves controlling the passage of air to and from said pneumatic, means for operating one of said valves, and a lever arm fixed to one of said valves for mitting the motion of one valve to the valve, whereby a leverage is created in of one valve, substantially as set forth.

2. In a pneumatir action, the combination of a pneumatic, valves controlling the passage of air to and from said pneumatic, means for operating one valve, and a lever arm secured to one of said valves and bearing against the other valve whereby one-valve is moved upon a movement of the other valve, substantially as set forth.

3. In a'pneumatic' action, thecombination of a pneumatic, valves controlling the passage of air to and from said pneumatic, one 01" said valves being hinged, means for operating one of said valves, and a lever arm which is secured to said 'hinged valve for trans mitting motion from one valve to the other to cause said valves to move together, substantially as set forth.

4. In a pneumatic action, the combination of a pneumatic, sage of air to and from said pneumatic, one of said valves being hinged, means for operating one of said valves, and a lever arm which is secured to said hinged valve and bears against said other valve to be operated thereby, substantially as set forth.

5. n a pneumatic action, the combination of a pneumatic, valves controlling the passage of air to and from said pneumatic, one of said valves being hinged, means for operattransother favor valves controlling the pasf two screws securing said lever arm to inged valve, said lever arm having a jection between said screws bearing againt said hinged valve, whereby the lever arm can be angularly adjusted on the valve, said lever arm being arranged to be operated by said other valve, substantially set forth.

7. In a pneumatic action, the combinatio of a pneumatic, valves controlling the passage of air to and from said pneumatic, one of said valves being hinged, pneumatic means or operating one of said valves, and a lever arm secured to said hinged valve for trarsmitting the motion of one valve to the other valve, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand, this 332d day of .hiarch,

CHRISTIAN lvlAER i Witnesses C. W. PARKER, E. C. HARD.

Eli. J 

